Connecting transport is essential to successful regeneration

COMMENT: Southampton is a city bursting with opportunity, developing faster than at any time in its history. And with the pandemic having permanently changed how people want to work, rest and play, cities like Southampton, with its waterside location and distinctive lifestyle benefits, will see a positive impact, driving interest from investors, developers and new residents.  Good transport connections are key, providing people and businesses with mobility and connectivity. Delivering easy access to employment and helping shape greener, healthier places through reducing our reliance on cars and supporting wellbeing initiatives, improvements in transport infrastructure in our cities will not only make for more attractive places to live and work, but will help unlock new development sites for business and housing. Basing an integrated travel hub in a city centre is therefore a great way to attract growth and investment, with the ripple effect accelerating new developments in and around the site, boosting accessibility and driving footfall, whether connecting a train, tram, tube or bus.  The opportunities that regeneration bring are evidenced by the schemes Southampton is currently looking to implement, such as the Mayflower Promenade, which will expand and enhance the public realm around Southampton Central Station, linking the station with West Quay Shopping Centre and down to the waterfront near Mayflower Park. This will attract residential, office, leisure and retail. There is also the Fawley Waterside development and the proposals to reopen the railway line running between Fawley and Southampton, enabling the DFT to run a new train service from Fawley or Hythe to Totton and on via Southampton Central, Southampton Airport Parkway, Eastleigh, Chandlers Ford and Romsey. Railway enhancement may also be required to further facilitate the Solent Freeport and the opportunities that will be generated as a result. While these sorts of development are certain to create exceptional regeneration opportunities, any development around stations and the rail network is complex, often involving a number of stakeholders, such as councils, developers, contractors and transport authorities, and a mix of regulated and unregulated environments. The requisite interaction between public and private interests on such schemes and, in particular, the following of procedures that have historically been necessary when making changes to a station environment or network, can make it difficult to control budget and run the risk of delay and cost overrun. To deliver this type of development in, around, over or under a station boundary or rail corridor, a first step should be to consult Network Rail’s requirements for investing in the railway. The reason for this is because Network Rail runs the railways under a licence from the DfT and is constrained by regulatory obligations and processes that apply to each project it works on. This includes how passengers and other station users are consulted, the likely impact on the running of the railway, timetable commitments and the requirement for any compensation for disruption that may be needed.  Early consideration of these factors is vital and needs to be built into any scheme, particularly regarding timing and budget. The sort of considerations which need to be factored into any transport hub scheme with railway assets includes:   1. Funding – Network Rail will expect all of the costs to be borne by the third-party funder, unless there is an accepted benefit to their core business. 2. Network Investment Framework Guide – This will need to be followed before any scheme is accepted, which could impact on timetable. 3.  Network Rail templates – Any contractual arrangement affecting the railway will need to be by way of an ORR approved template agreement. 4. ORR approval – This is required for disposal of former operational land and involves a process and notice period. 5. Station and network change – Any changes to station or network will require a prescribed consultation process with all station users and train/freight operators. 6. Asset protection – Network Rail’s asset protection regime and documentation. 7. Railway closure – This is a prescribed consultative process.  8. PACE (Project Acceleration in a Controlled Environment) – This is the process for selecting the design of any enhancement to Network Rail’s assets. The good news in all of this is that, while this can be a timely and expensive process, Network Rail now recognises this and is actively looking at ways to reduce both the time and cost of project delivery. By significantly reducing the cost and halving the time it takes to complete these sorts of projects, more opportunities for development and change will be created that may have been out of reach before. Jo McGuinness is a partner at Shoosmiths Photo © Roman Grac/Pixabay